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Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings
Monday, October 24, 2011I have recently been reading The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss. Below are some common reasons that dieting/weight loss efforts tend to fail.
The first three mistakes cover 90%+ of stalling problems, but the rest are well worth reading. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and a few minutes of education is worth many pounds of extra fat-loss.
Mistake #1: Not eating within one hour of waking, preferably within 30 minutes. Skipping breakfast is also closely associated with overeating in the evening. Don't skip. Have no appetite in the morning? No problem. Keep it small and protein-rich, then: two to three hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with white truffle sea salt. Skip breakfast, forget to eat within one hour of waking, and you will fail.
Mistake #2: Not eating enough protein. Get at least 20 grams of protein per meal. This is absolutely most critical at breakfast. First choice: down two to three whole eggs at breakfast. Second choice: if that's impossible to stomach, add other protein-rich whole foods, such as turkey bacon, organic bacon, organic sausages, or cottage cheese. Third choice: have a 30-gram protein shake with ice and water. Get at least 20 grams of protein per meal, no matter what. Related problem: not eating enough food. Do NOT try to restrict portions or calories. Eat until you are full, and eat as much as you like of appropriate foods. If you don't, you will either downshift your metabolism or cheat between meals with banned-food snacks.
Mistake #3: Not drinking enough water. To ensure optimal liver function for fat-loss, increased hydration is a must. Make a special effort to drink more water on your cheat day, as the carbohydrate overload will pull water to your digestive tract and muscle glycogen. If you don't get enough water, headaches will be the result.
Mistake #4: Believing that you'll cook, especially if you're a bachelor. If you don't normally cook, get canned and frozen foods. Don't buy a bunch of food that requires cooking skills if you don't have them. Keep it simple. Use frozen and canned stuff for at least the first two weeks. Change one habit at a time: food selection first, food preparation second.
Mistake #5: Mistiming weighings with your menstrual cycle. Women tend to retain much more water just before their periods. Be sure to take this into account when you start your diet and take measurements. Ignore scale readings in the 10 days before menstruation. Don't let short-term water fluctuations discourage you.
Mistake #6: Overeating "domino foods": nuts, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), hummus, peanuts, macadamias. There are certain foods that, while technically fine to eat on a diet, are prone to portion abuse. I call these "domino foods", as eating one portion often creates a domino effect of oversnacking. Self-discipline is overrated and undependable. Don't eat anything that requires portion control. Get domino foods out of the house and out of reach.
Mistake #7: Overconsuming artificial (or "all-natural") sweeteners, including agave nectar. Even with no calories, most artificial and natural sugar substitutes provoke increased insulin release, though aspartame (Nutrasweet) shows surprisingly little effect on insulin. Not that this is a free license to overconsume Nutrasweet: it's often paired with acesulfame-K, which has a host of negative health effects. Both low-calorie and no-calorie sweeteners have been associated with weight gain. "All-natural" sweeteners are, based on the role of fructose in metabolic disorders, arguably worse for you than even high-fructose corn syrup. Skip the sweeteners whenever possible. If it's really sweet, it probably spikes insulin or screws up your metabolism. Experiment with spices and extracts like cinnamon and vanilla instead.
Mistake #8: Hitting the gym too often. Doing too much will not only not help, it will reverse your progress, as it also leads to overeating, sports drinks, and other assorted self-sabotage. Less is more.
The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss really is a fascinating book! I encourage you to pick up a copy if you haven't already. It will satisfy both the casual, curious reader and the more scientific minded, like Coach D. You can preview it here:http://www.fourhourbody.com/
Posted by: Michele Deaton
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